There are over 7 billion people on Earth. If each person owned only one pair of pants, one shirt, and one jacket, there would be 21 billion articles of clothing in circulation. We all know that number is not accurate given our fashion cultural norms. Scientists and organizations recently have exposed the dramatic effects on the environment, such as water pollution, from textile/garment production. Household name brands are committed to initiatives such as the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) Programme. The ZDHC Programme leads the textile, leather and footwear industries towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in textile production by 2020, to ensure the safety of neighboring communities and tackle water pollution.
Textile production is resource heavy, competitive, and complex. Sometimes an operation to create something as basic as a white T-shirt, can involve dozens of suppliers and thousands of chemicals.
Managing chemical information in a regulated environment that is not standardized can be challenging. Attempting to conduct a chemical inventory, recording each chemical product used throughout the supply chain, is extremely labor intensive, not to mention the additional work of keeping data up to date. This challenge is real and vital to address. A manual process is not scalable or feasible. Many companies today are seeking automated solutions.
What types of strategies and processes are required to effectively manage chemical data?
An ideal solution involves several processes and activities:
- Simple and flexible data collection – Brands should be able to easily access lab testing and regulation compliance data on all the chemical products in their supply chain.
- Effective collation of data for ease of understanding – Chemical supply chain data is complex and extensive. Brands should be able to easily evaluate which products in their supply chain comply to different regulatory frameworks and Manufacturing Restricted Substance Lists (MRSLs), and compare the results of audits and tests across various products in the supply chain.
- Controlled sharing and access of data – Brands and suppliers need to make their data easily accessible internally, and maintain transparency by sharing that data with a variety of stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, other brands and regulatory agencies.
CleanChain Answers the Challenge
One such automated solution is CleanChain, an ADEC Innovation. A unique digital chemical information management platform, CleanChain is designed to address the challenges of collecting, interpreting and sharing chemical data. Why does it work?
- Simple product record upload system – Suppliers can upload a list of the chemical products used in their supply chain straight from Microsoft Excel, and CleanChain will locate and match available data on those products from its registered labs and formulators.
- Clear graphical interface – Comparing compliance data and lab analyses is easy with CleanChain’s intuitive charts and graphs.
- Smart sharing through the connections system – Users can connect with brands and suppliers using the system while retaining complete control over which parts of their data each connection has access to. They can also gather more in-depth information from each other through CleanChain’s messaging system. This messaging system offers additional transparency and reinforces a positive relationship between the supply chain partners.
Automated processes bring ease to dealing with unique and complex supply chain processes. Which will ultimately build upon existing relationships. Which allows more time for brands and suppliers seek green to solutions meet their responsibilities and give back to the planet and to communities.
ADEC Innovations is a leading provider of environmental, social and governance (ESG) solutions, including fully integrated industry expertise, software solutions and data management. Find out more about CleanChain and book a customized demo here.
